So, glued on '00 Mustang GT door panels - what to do?

[Betrayer00GT 10+ year member]

Title covers the important part, but time to fill in all the little details.

I have been bitten hard by the car-stereo upgrade bug. I currently have the base-level stock stereo in my '00 Mustang GT. I got some Polk EX 6x8s back in '03, and they did it for me for a while. Now however, I plan to put a single 12" sub (free-air) on the (reinforced) rear deck, move those Polk EX coaxials to the front, and power it all with fresh wiring and a good 4-ch amp (probably a Soundstream TRA680.4) off a new head unit (probably the Clarion DXZ475MP). All this (depending on the sub I use) should only run me ~$500 or so.

The thing is, none of it can happen until I figure out a way to get those Polks into the doors, unless I want to destroy/run them as passive radiators for what ever free-air 12" sub I end up putting on the rear deck. I thought I could cut out an opening in the bottom-front corner of the door panels (the area that covers the stock door-mounted 6x8s) in order to remove those stock speakers and put in my Polks. I could then make a brazed piano-wire "grille frame", cover it with black grille cloth, and either glue or screw that grille in place over the "access panel" I had cut out. This could work, but sounds like a crap load of work.

I thought about buying a set of Q-Logic kick panels, plus a ~$100 6.5" component set, and scraping the Polks in favor of that setup for the front. That may be easier (though Q-Logic kick-panel reviews indicate it may not be easy at all), but it is definitely more expensive. My project cost would go from ~$500 to ~$800. That large a difference just doesn't seem reasonable, especially since I already own a pair of Polk EX 6x8s, and I really do enjoy their sound. They're not perfect, but they are pretty good.

Anyone with other potential solutions? The cheaper the better. Maybe someone has had to cut into glued-on door panels before? What should I do!

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[tsenfw 10+ year member]

you're door panels aren't glued on, they can come off. I don't understand what you are asking. Try to rephrase it.

Everything comes apart if you know exactly how to do it. I have a 2000 mustang. Basically the same thing. Let me know what you need to know.

 

[DarkFox 10+ year member]

the place where your controls are pulls up and out. The piece behind the handle pulls out.

There is a screw behind each, and I think one screw somewhere in the bottom, maybe not. get the screws out and pull up on the panel (like pull the panel toward the window.) the whole dam thing slides off and you have easy access to the fronts.

 

[UCF52 10+ year member]

the place where your controls are pulls up and out. The piece behind the handle pulls out.
There is a screw behind each, and I think one screw somewhere in the bottom, maybe not. get the screws out and pull up on the panel (like pull the panel toward the window.) the whole dam thing slides off and you have easy access to the fronts.

x2. If you have the Mach 460 system then remove the speaker grills for the little midranges in the sail panel as well. But that is basically it.

 

[Betrayer00GT 10+ year member]

OK, I finally got the time to try again, and the title should have been "Idiot needs help getting his door panels off". That would have been way more accurate. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

You guys are awesome!

It never occurred to me to put that kind of force into getting those things off. Oh, and the parts I was looking at are glued together, but they are both parts of the door panel, so it hardly matters. If getting them off was hard, getting them back on the first time was a real PITA. Done, though.

I can now very easily transfer my Polk EX 6X8s into the front doors once the MB Quart Reference series RWE 352 15" sub shows up and I can set it up in the car. I got that driver (new in box) for $118, shipped. Not the best, but I am not a basshead and the price was right.

I am ecstatic right now. Again, thanks for the assist guys!

 

[Betrayer00GT 10+ year member]

the place where your controls are pulls up and out. The piece behind the handle pulls out.
There is a screw behind each, and I think one screw somewhere in the bottom, maybe not. get the screws out and pull up on the panel (like pull the panel toward the window.) the whole dam thing slides off and you have easy access to the fronts.

Well, for the passenger side (all I have done successfully ATM) I had one screw (and a hole for another screw that was not being used) behind the panel with the lock/window controls, and the plastic fastener at the front/bottom of the door panel. That was it.

After those two were removed (and the plastic trim around the handle, of course) the thing was still on real solid. Not so solid that several heaves from a 300lb 6' 2" guy didn't get it started moving, though. Again, that was way more force than I ever would have thought was needed after removing both the screw and plastic fastener securing it to the door.

EDIT: Also, the plan has changed a bit for the system. Now forgoing external amplification on the Polks up front to start with. Also decided to downsize the initial amp's power rating to ~300w (as 2-ohm stereo @ ~150w/ch) and just use it for the dual 2-ohm voice coil sub, at first. I will buy a bigger (500-700w) sub amp later, and use the initial amp for the Polks at that time. Also, I discovered the whole DIY fiberglass enclosure thing. I think that will keep the enclosure weight down sufficiently (vs 3/4" MDF) that I can drop the free-air aspect of the sub install. My drag racing habit (Sacramento Raceway) can handle the hit of a fiberglass enclosure, I am sure. So, that means my MB Quart RWE 352 15" sub (w/ UPS, ATM) will end up in a ~1.5 cuft, sealed fiberglass enclosure in the trunk. These changes put the electronics/sub cost at $350, plus tax/shipping. The fiberglass enclosure shouldn't run the cost up too much more than that. Ought to be pretty cool when I get it done.

 

[DarkFox 10+ year member]

you can still mount it in the rear lid like you were going to and make a fiberglass enclosure underneath it to screw into. Would be pretty sweet in tha cabin though may look kinda silly in the trunk.

 

[DarkFox 10+ year member]

this was my mustang with the rear seats folded down.

it didnt look pretty but if your gonna have the sup firing into the cab, it should be as sealed off from the trunk as you can get it. so rather then take the time to make the glass look nice for something that was covered 98% of the time. I went for the functional install

 

[sxkicker89 10+ year member]

darkfox wats the dim of box and how did u get it in there.i have 2 12 l7 and i want to go ported.lmk i have a 2003 mustang thanks

 

[DarkFox 10+ year member]

I dont want to thread jack too much in here so I wont lay out all the numbers, but everything you want to know is in my work log here:

http://www.caraudio.com/forum/showthread.php?t=266206

 

[tsenfw 10+ year member]

Get a Haynes manual. They are very vague but awesome when haven't the slightest on how to disassemble something.

Forgot to mention the plastic push fastener on the side bottom and the the cover on the inside part of the mirror assembly that you can just pull off.

Don't you just love ford? My stang is held together by those stupid plastic push fasteners. hahahah

Fix Or Repair Daily

Fuxed On Race Day

 

[DarkFox 10+ year member]

Also First On Race Day

 

[tsenfw 10+ year member]

despite my ford animosity I might get an 87-93 fox body to play around with and build something huge to stuff in. Would be my first project. They seem pretty cheap to make go fast and they are lighter than our newer models.

 

[Betrayer00GT 10+ year member]

you can still mount it in the rear lid like you were going to and make a fiberglass enclosure underneath it to screw into. Would be pretty sweet in tha cabin though may look kinda silly in the trunk.

Hmm... that is an idea. My issue with it is that I do not think I could get 1.8 cuft gross worth of enclosure under there with out effing up the pass through with the seats down. I really like being able to get Home Depot to cut a 4'X8' into 4 2'x4' pieces and get them home in the trunk using the seats-down-pass through. I wouldn't want to sacrifice that. I plan to use up one of the sides of the trunk, right up to the edge of the pass through hole.

Get a Haynes manual. They are very vague but awesome when haven't the slightest on how to disassemble something.
Forgot to mention the plastic push fastener on the side bottom and the the cover on the inside part of the mirror assembly that you can just pull off.

Don't you just love ford? My stang is held together by those stupid plastic push fasteners. hahahah

Fix Or Repair Daily

Fuxed On Race Day

You know, I have a Haynes, and I didn't think to look in there for the door panels. I looked up rear bumper removal (I don't want the exhaust cutouts that are back there, I want to use turndowns in front of the rear axle).

As far as the "Fix Or Repair Daily" stuff, my stang is 7 years old, has 57K miles on it, and has been completely bullet proof since I got it in '03. Nothing but maintenance. Well, except for the stuff related to me backing into that **** fence, but that was nothing on Ford, it was just my own stupidity. Well, I suppose the fact that there was no actual body damage (just paint issues) actually reflects pretty well on the 70s origin of my '00 Mustang GT. Don't get me started on the old Tempo I used to have, though. I can tolerate the "Fix Or Repair Daily" stuff in regards to that POS, but it was from '92 or so.

despite my ford animosity I might get an 87-93 fox body to play around with and build something huge to stuff in. Would be my first project. They seem pretty cheap to make go fast and they are lighter than our newer models.

The LX Mustangs from that era are nice. The million-and-one cheap parts of all kinds (heads, intake manifolds, and onandonandonandon) and seriously low curb weights for the Mustang combine to make a sweet ride, if you are into modding. You know, I weighed mine in at Sacramento Raceway and got 3260lbs, so it is not horrible. I am trying hard to keep it that way, though. Thus the original desire to not use an enclosure, and now a grudging willingness to use a small fiberglass one.